Posts Tagged ‘blue’

The Sight of the Stars

Thursday, July 22nd, 2021

abstract art in the Aglow series by Amy Crook

The Sight of the Stars, 8″x10″ mixed media on metallic paper

Metallic photo paper makes a fascinating substrate, you can’t ever lift color once it’s put down. Instead, all the texture here is physical, soft body acrylic that rises above the paper in bumps and ridges formed by the brush strokes. On top of that a scattering of iridescent watercolor stars adds to the shine that already comes through the semi-translucent paint.

“The sight of the stars makes me dream.”
-Vincent Van Gogh

Sometimes I start an Aglow painting with words in mind, and sometimes I create the image and find words that go with it. I think this was the latter, but time is meaningless here in 2021 so who knows.

The Sight of the Stars, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of the textured paint and shiny paper catching the golden light overhead. Below, the painting is in a frame, waiting to be shipped off to its new home!

The Sight of the Stars, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Pretty Words, Series and Books
Tags: acrylic, aglow, blue, inkjet print, metallic paper, more cowbell, nfs, purple, soft body acrylic, sold, van gogh

Waning

Monday, July 19th, 2021

Waning, 5″x7″ mixed media on paper

This misprint had an alignment issue that made it all sky and no earth. I couldn’t resist painting in the very end of twilight in rich blue and fading violet. The moon is a special iridescent paint that looks white at some angles and lavender at others. The tree has some intriguing physical texture, painting over with soft-body acrylic paint, and its details were extended into a network of lacy growth.

There’s a few little birds in the sky as well, hidden mostly behind the mist of tiny dots that might be fireflies or snowflakes or even a light rain reflecting moonlight at the viewer.

Every part of this artwork got a touch of new life, from the waning gibbous moon to the color-washed streaks in the sky.

Waning, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the way the paint shines, the moon going purple and the tree’s texture picking up the golden sunlight. Below, this piece is in a frame and happily showing itself off for you.

Waning, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: acrylic, blue, crow, inkjet print, interference, mixed media, moon, more cowbell, primatek, purple, tree, watercolor

Spirit Cat

Saturday, July 6th, 2019

Spirit Cat, 6″x6″ watercolor on paper

Curled up here we have a translucent blue kitty whose nap we’ve clearly interrupted.

Whether spirit, faerie, ghost, or illusion, this kitty definitely has an otherworldly aura about it that outstrips even the usual feline mystery. It’s got a halo of violet in its blue, and the markings start out a bit like your usual tabby before swirling off fancifully into spirals and nothingness.

What sort of cat do you suppose we have here, and will you be the one to adopt it into your family?

Spirit Cat, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see one little eye peering out like the only solid part of this cat’s form. Below, the cat is napping in its frame, waiting for a carrier to take it home.

Spirit Cat, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: blue, cat, nfs, sold, spirals, watercolor

Concentric 5

Tuesday, May 7th, 2019

Concentric 5, 6″x6″ watercolor on paper

Blues are bursting on the scene! From a shimmering emerald to a rich sapphire to a soft barely-there hint of lapis, this painting is filled with bejeweled beauty.

These are very meditative, and there’s a tiny spiral at the heart of each burst this time around to help draw in the eye and start the journey through the mandala-like shapes.

Where do you need a bit of of a calming influence in your space?

Concentric 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the way the bursts of color shift and shine in the light. Below, this painting looks lovely in a small black frame, just waiting to bring joy to someone’s home. Maybe yours!

Concentric 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: blue, concentric, for sale, iridescent, metallic, watercolor

River Hallway

Saturday, September 2nd, 2017

River Hallway, 4″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Like soothing waves of water, this blue-violet color contains surprising amounts of detail once you look past the initial impression. There’s a very subtle hint of sparkle here and there, the smallest shapes of water and spray, and of course the more obvious gradations of flow.

The tall, narrow rectangular shape echoes a hallway flowing with water rather than a more natural stream.

River Hallway, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the tiny details, flecks of paint and flecks of white like foam and stones in the water. Below, the painting is trapped in its frame, a piece of time forever frozen under glass.

River Hallway, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: blue, interference, nfs, pathways, purple, sold, watercolor

Uncertain Boundaries 2

Monday, May 8th, 2017

Uncertain Boundaries 2, 10″x8″ pen & ink and watercolor on Arches cover buff paper

Layers of boundaries obscured but not always obliterated by the shapes that form atop them. A world that is always shifting, changing, adapting to the forces that make and move borders. A history hiding in the blend of color, the sparkle of truths that won’t stay buried.

Uncertain Boundaries 2 is another Map piece, mixed media artworks that create imaginary places and invite the viewer to explore them.

What history do you think has happened here?

Uncertain Boundaries 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the half-obliterated history of these strange countries, lines still there in memory but outweighed by the present. Below, this piece is in a frame, waiting to add some mystery to your walls.

Uncertain Boundaries 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: blue, duochrome, green, iridescent, japanese watercolor, map, nfs, pen and ink, purple, sold, watercolor

Diverge

Saturday, October 8th, 2016

Diverge, 10″x8″ watercolor and interference watercolor on Arches cover black paper

The watery, shimmery blue Pathways are diverging in this layered abstract painting.

A subtle, mottled pattern of dark blues and black voids hides behind the turquoise waterfalls spilling to either side of the central path. The texture of the top layer is softened by the paint beneath it, but the sparkle shines through in the right light.

These pathways diverge, but for once you can have it both ways.

Diverge, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see one set of divergent pathways running over the soft, textured background in dark blue and darker black. Below, the pathways are contained in a frame, reminding us to look both ways.